For the crew at Mosko Moto, a motorbike is much less of a trophy and extra of a passport. Based mostly out of White Salmon, Washington, Mosko was based on a singular, pissed off query: Why is there a chasm between the high-tech, weight-conscious gear utilized by mountaineers and the clunky, overbuilt baggage accessible to journey riders?
Taking cues from the likes of Arc’teryx and Patagonia, Mosko Moto revolutionized the business with “tough-as-nails” comfortable items designed to face up to border-hopping treks and river crossings. However their secret sauce is not simply intelligent engineering—it’s the truth that the staff trip, and so they trip exhausting. At occasions like their Dusty Lizard Campouts, you gained’t discover the employees standing behind a sales space; you’ll discover them within the filth, utilizing the backcountry as a brutal proving floor for each sew and buckle they promote.
Probably the most seen faces of that “ride-first” ethos is Ryan Turner, Mosko’s Occasions Supervisor. Born within the forests of Idaho and raised on the central coast of California, Ryan’s DNA is a mixture of Mojave Desert mud and Pacific salt. Whereas his early years have been cut up between browsing and motocross, a transformative encounter with Ted Simon’s Jupiter’s Travels and the high-octane imagery of the Dakar Rally shifted his focus towards the horizon.
After “using a KTM 990 Journey into the bottom,” Ryan turned a devoted KTM fanatic. His evolution from a weekend warrior to a social media documentarian of the ADV world ultimately led him to the tight-knit neighborhood at Mosko. Immediately, his “workplace” is commonly the seat of this: a meticulously ready KTM 500 EXC-F Six Days.
The KTM is already a formidable piece of equipment—a 510cc, street-legal enduro weapon dripping with premium parts. However for Ryan’s functions, the inventory bike was a place to begin. To deal with the high-speed desert transitions and technical mountain climbs of the American West, this machine has been constructed into a real “Rally-Lite” powerhouse.
To get up the 510cc single, Ryan went for the “full Taco Sauce” therapy from the specialists at Taco Moto. The bike is now managed by a GET ECU and breathes by a Graves exhaust, offering a extra aggressive energy curve and improved throttle response in comparison with the manufacturing facility’s EPA-restricted tune.
Dealing with is paramount if you’re carrying gear by the abusive terrain Mosko calls dwelling. The WP XACT suspension was despatched to Kreft Moto for a full {custom} re-valve and spring job, guaranteeing the bike stays composed over repetitive high-speed chop. It rolls on a set of custom-built Warp 9 wheels, wrapped in Motoz Enduro tires and filled with Nitromousse inserts to make flat tires a factor of the previous.
Probably the most useful modifications is the Moto Minded rally tower, which homes a pair of Ruby R4 lights that flip evening into day. The tower helps a full suite of navigation controls, giving Ryan a Dakar-inspired cockpit that’s as useful as it’s aggressive. A Scotts Steering Stabilizer sits atop Flexx Bars to cut back rider fatigue, whereas ODI Grips and a {custom} throttle tube present exact management.
As a result of this bike is destined for the “scratches, dents, and scars,” safety is heavy. P3 Carbon equipped the skidplate, body, and exhaust protectors, whereas Bullet Proof Designs’ radiator guards protect the cooling system from stray branches. Even the footpegs have been upgraded—outsized, aggressive-lugged Warp 9 models anodized in blue to match the wheel hubs.
Whereas the {hardware} is undeniably critical, the bike’s identification is a loud, unapologetic departure from KTM’s manufacturing facility orange. The visible centerpiece of the construct is a {custom} Taco Moto graphics equipment, that includes a riot of colourful, psychedelic illustrations by the artist Watto. These neon, “loud-and-proud” graphics wrap the machine from entrance to again, reworking what was as soon as a typical enduro bike right into a vibrant, trippy piece of rolling artwork. It’s a styling alternative that completely mirrors Ryan’s California-cool roots—chopping by the mud with a flash of neon that ensures this 500 EXC-F is rarely misplaced within the crowd.
In a world of “storage queens,” Ryan Turner’s KTM is a refreshing reminder of what occurs when knowledgeable builds a software for his commerce. It’s a lean, imply, border-hopping machine that embodies the Mosko Moto mission: go deeper, keep out longer, and don’t be concerned concerning the filth.
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